Usher Beats Katy Perry’s “Gurls,” Stones and ‘Glee’ Battle on Top 200
Usher’s “OMG” with Will.i.am has managed to hold off Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” on the Hot 100. Perry nearly entered the chart at Number One on the strength of digital sales alone — the first single off Teenage Dream was downloaded 294,000 times after debuting last week — but Usher’s latest Raymond v Raymond single was named Billboard‘s Airplay Gainer for the fifth consecutive week to help it retake the top spot it relinquished seven days ago to Eminem’s “Not Afraid.” Slim Shady’s Recovery track fell from Number One to Six in its second week, facilitated by a 47 percent dip in digital sales, marking the steepest drop from the Number One position since Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” in July 2008, Billboard reports.
Rapper B.o.B scored two singles in the Top Five as “Airplanes” featuring Hayley Williams and “Nothin’ On You” with Bruno Mars slotted at Number Three and Four, respectively. Taio Cruz and Ludacris’ “Break Your Heart” placed at Number Five. The latest singles by Ke$ha and Lady Gaga both reached new Hot 100 highs as Ke$ha’s “Your Love is My Drug” rose one spot to Number Seven and Gaga’s Fame Monster song “Alejandro” jumped from Number 11 to Eight. Thanks to its new video, Lil Wayne’s No Ceilings mixtape track “I’m Single” entered the chart at Number 82.
Glee once again landed a handful of Hot 100 debuts led by the cast’s rendition of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” at Number 23. “One,” “The Boy is Mine,” “Lady Is a Tramp” and “Rose’s Turn” also arrived in the upper half of the Hot 100. On the flip side, Glee also experienced the week’s biggest drop-off: the show’s version of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” fell from Number 16 to 72.
Glee is also gearing up for a big battle on the album chart next week: In an epic showdown between Rolling Stone cover stars, the Rolling Stones and the Fox hit show are both jockeying for Number One on the Top 200. The Stones’ Exile on Main Street reissue may become the band’s first Number One album in nearly 30 years. However, the Glee: Showstoppers soundtrack, the third official album from the high school musical, is the heavy favorite for Number One, projected to sell between 80,000 to 100,000 copies this week, Reuters reports. Showstoppers comes on the heels of Glee‘s recent Billboard 200 Number One mini-album for “The Power of Madonna” episode.
If the Stones’ Exile on Main Street reissue nabs Number One, it will mark the first time Mick and Keith ruled the U.S. album chart since Tattoo You debuted at Number One in 1981. Thanks to the success of “Start Me Up,” Tattoo You spent nine weeks at the top of the album chart, a feat that’s almost unheard of now. The Stones have come closing to topping the Billboard 200 since then — 1994’s Voodoo Lounge peaked at Number Two, while 1997’s Bridges to Babylon and 2005’s A Bigger Bang both debuted at Number Three — but for 30 years the Number One has proven elusive to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. That could change next week.
Next week’s chart will also see the arrival of LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening, the Black Keys’ Brothers and Band of Horses’ Infinite Arms. Catch up on all of Rolling Stone‘s album reviews here.